First commercial astronaut is son of former Fulton woman

Keith Colmer, chosen last week as one of the nation’s first commercial astronauts, is a son of a Margaret Colmer, who grew up in Fulton.

Colmer is a 1959 graduate of Fulton High School and the class of 1961 at William Woods College in Fulton.

Her maiden name was Margaret Musick, daughter of Bruce and Irinne Musick of Fulton. Her father operated a Maytag appliance store in Fulton and was instrumental in starting public housing projects in the city.

Her son Keith was selected from more than 500 applicants — including 10 current and former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts — to be the first commercial astronaut. He is training to become the first pilot to fly a privately-owned spacecraft on scheduled trips into space.